Thanks to Nintendo Switch, Japan’s Console Market grows by 14.8% in First Half of 2017

The Japanese console market has been in a slump in recent years due to the rise of mobile gaming. The industry recorded negative growth in the last 3 years, but 2017 marks the first time video game hardware and software sales seeing positive growth.

Here are the cumulative video game sales between December 26, 2016 to June 25, 2017:

Famitsu says credit goes to Nintendo Switch for the industry’s improvement in the first half of 2017. Although the system launched on March 3rd, the first three months it was on the market was a huge enough boost to turn things around for the industry. With 1 million units sold and a strong game lineup, this trend will certainly continue for the rest of the year.